Career Path Choices of Vocational School Students in the Context of Their Entrepreneurial Abilities, General Aptitude, and Hope for Success

Abstract

The right choice of career path for young people deciding to attend vocational school can prove to be an important factor not only for future educational success, but also for a successful transition from education to work. It is, on the one hand, a key developmental challenge for young people entering adulthood and, on the other, an expectation and concern for local authorities shaping education policy in the context of the needs of the local economy. The problem of a successful transition from education to work is, then, an interdisciplinary issue, related to both psychology (individual differences) and the management of local development oriented towards providing the local economy with the necessary competences for work. Therefore, it is also and actually first and foremost, an important challenge for career counselling and for young people. The article presents an empirical study of 3,577 vocational and technical school students, covering 1,080 female and 2,497 male students, conducted in 19 schools in Poznań in 27 fields of study using questionnaires and psychological tests to determine entrepreneurial abilities (KUP), hope for success (KNS) and general aptitude (APIS). Our analyses of the research results led us to claim that there is a relationship between entrepreneurial abilities, general aptitude and hope for success and the career path choices of vocational school students. It was shown, with the use of artificial intelligence, that on the basis of the results of questionnaires measuring these student characteristics, a prediction can be made about the choice of further career or educational direction. The results of the analysis using AI can support career counselling for vocational students and the development of a career counselling system at this and earlier stages of education.